Gripping hand tools such as pliers and wire cutters (collectively called pliers herein) with springs or other resilient means that urge the handles apart are well-known. Such pliers are particularly well suited for repetitive applications. Typically, pliers have two crossed members each having a jaw, a handle and a pivot point between the jaw and handle. The crossed members are connected by a pivot pin at the members' respective pivot points. A spring is then positioned between the two handles to urge the handles open. When the handles are compressed, the spring is compressed. When the handles are released, the spring expands, forcing the handles apart. Examples of such pliers include U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,552 to Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,289 to Eggert and U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,143 to Jansson.
A user may wish for the handles of such normally-open pliers (i.e., handles open and jaws open) to stay closed when the handles are released at certain times, such as when the pliers are not in use and are being stored. Thus, there is a need for normally-open pliers in which the mechanism that forces the handles apart can be disengaged or disabled so that the pliers can be used without being normally open.